As I sit here watching episode 2 of Top Gear - having only managed to persevere with 10 minutes of the first episode but convincing myself that it will surely get better - I start thinking about the article I read earlier, which talks about the possibility of a new 200mph electric powered McLaren supercar.
This article comes at a time when McLaren has just re-published the full, original 1992 press release of its F1 supercar, which definitely had pride of place on my bedroom wall as a young boy...ok, maybe teenager!
According to the article, my fears of owning an electric car may actually have disappeared and although the days of the ‘monster’ internal combustion engines in our supercars may be numbered, the advances in electric technology are now being used to create fully electric cars with ‘monster’ power and immense capabilities (good news for all ‘petrol’ heads!)
Anyway, back to Top Gear. I respect Chris Evans for taking on this immense challenge (yes, I know a vast sum of money helps with these decisions, but when he already has the ability to buy a £12m Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, I’m sure he wasn’t in the position where he had to take it!) and, there is no doubt he has been very across the TV and media spectrum, but could this have been a challenge too far? Jenson Button made a pretty impressive appearance on the show amidst calls from Top Gear fans for him to replace Evans.
What are your thoughts…is TG really going to work or is this a step too far for Evans?
"No one buys a McLaren because they need one. We know that," said Auto Express' unnamed McLaren source. "So we need to make an EV that's as exciting as a 675LT... An electric McLaren would need to manage 30 minutes on track with a 30-minute break before heading back out again." AutoExpress also posits that this could be the first electric production car to break the 200-mph barrier. And if you think about it, McLaren is very well-positioned to make an all-electric supercar. The automaker's extensive expertise in lightweight carbon fiber and the massive cooling needs of a track-ready supercar are imminently applicable here. Add in the obsessive engineering that McLaren is known for, and you've got a great recipe for a battery-powered supercar that can stand up to track duty—something no major automaker has attempted thus far.
Read the original article here